At around 2:30pm, nobody would have thought JazzFest would continue for the last day of the first week-end. It was not just raining. It was pouring. And yet, one hour later, things were back to normal, except there was mud everywhere! Well, the kids loved it. And the adults didn't really mind. Actually, one would say it made this last day a very special one.
It all started at 2:30pm. While I was eating another box of boiled crawfish (I couldn't resist!), it suddenly started to hale. In less than 2 minutes, my box of crawfish was full of water. Note here that the hale didn't stop me from eating!
Once I was done with the crawfish, we decided to go to the oyster bar, which is inside the grandstand (very practical under bad weather conditions!). We wouldn't let bad weather spoil our day, and we then decided to get lot of oysters hoping the rain would stop.
It almost worked! 45 minutes later, we were walking, under light rain this time, to the Jazz tent, which we left very quickly to go for more food as the weather got better. This time, I had a soft shell crawfish po-boy. And that was a clear winner. A guy in front of me bought 4 of them, and told me this was the best dish of the festival. I had to say, I agree with me.
My friend Francisco had some Pork cracklings (pork skinned deep fried). Actually let me rephrase. He had many of them! He liked them so much that he went back twice. They were really good, even though I'm always scared to break a teeth while eating them.
And so the first week-end of JazzFest ended. On a high note and some drop of rains. We're now about to leave New Orleans, but we have a few hours before our plane takes off. Just enough time to go to a nice restaurant for our last lunch here of the year! Of course, I'll be blogging about it...
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Note to the readers of this blog:
1/ Don't forget to follow me on twitter (link in the right column)
2/ I've posted some JazzFest pictures on my Flickr account (will integrate later with this blog)
Huge dark clouds had decided to stop over New Orleans for day 2 of JazzFest 2008. So what? Do you really think it would stop us from enjoying JazzFest?
I have to say, the experience was different, but in many ways, quite something to remember all our life. Being outside, listening to some heritage band giving it all for the few crazy folks ready to ignore the weather, was a unique moment in my existence.
The turning point was when we managed to buy ponchos. At this very moment, we knew we'll be able to make it till the end of the day. Well, that belief went back and forth, as the wind and the rain started to pick up so much that everyone was wondering if the tents would even resist. But overall, the spirit was good throughout the day.
The rain had decided to play a big role yesterday. And it did. After a few hours, they had to stop the pumps because the levels of water around the race track were above security levels. As a result, the track itself became totally flooded in many areas. At best, you would just have water till the top of your shoes!
So yeah it was fun. But this also means we had less food than expected. It's harder to eat outside under very high winds and heavy rain. At least, less enjoyable. That being said, I still managed to go back to my Gumbo and give it a last try. Well, still the same. Not as good as it should be (and has been). My friend Joe had a taste and agree it was more like a soup than a Gumbo. That was a disappointment.
Other than that, the culinary highlight of the day was the Cochon de Lait Po-boy. The Cochon de lait is a young pig that has only be fed with its mother's milk (it's usually killed after a few weeks). That was something very special, especially with this very vinegary mustard that contrasts perfectly with the thickness of the pig meat.
Today we're going back. They've forecasted more rain! Fun huh?
The minute we put a foot on the race track that hosts JazzFest, we knew it would be a good day! And it fulfilled all its promises.
As every year, my first dish was the Gumbo (Quail, Pheasant and Andouille). I don't know if I raised the expectations too high for that dish, but I wasn't that impressed this time. It may just have been that my cup didn't have enough meat, so I will try it again today to confirm. Stay tuned on that one.
My friend Joe has a tradition. His first dish is always the Fried Soft-Shell Crab Po-boy. This year, I decided to join him (that was after the Gumbo!) and was not disappointed at all! This was delicious! Very meaty, and tasty which is not common for fried food. You can judge yourself just by looking at the picture!
Quickly after that, we made our way to the grandstand, where you can find the oyster bar. That place is quite interesting: it's the same guys shucking, sweating (a lot!), and giving you those huge oysters. Oysters here are very different from the ones I'm used to. Much more milky, less salty. It makes them perfect for baking or frying, but not necessarily really nice as such. The secret is to make a very hot sauce, with horseradish, tabasco, and tomatoes. Then, they just become truly perfect! I still prefer my traditional fines de claire from Bretagne, but those oysters are such an experience in New Orleans.
A couple of hours later, I was hungry again! It was time for crawfish! I'm sure you've all read my angry post at Whole Foods about their crab. Well, those guys at JazzFest know how to boil shellfish. It was cooked perfectly, peppery and salty and obviously, the crawfish themselves were meaty and fresh. That combination was the best dish of the day.
I will try many more dishes today, but I really want to give another chance to the Gumbo. I don't know what went wrong, but that was not as good as it should have been. The rest was delicious!
It's been a year since the last JazzFest in New Orleans. Or, in other words, since my last Gumbo. To be exact, it's not just a Gumbo. It's a Pheasant, Quail and Andouille Gumbo. I know there are many vegetarians reading this blog, but for those of you who like fine and delicate meat, this dish is perfect. It will also be my first dish of the day. The first one of a very, very long list.
I was reading through the program today, and it's just phenomenal. Here it is for you:
I'm in New Orleans, for my yearly trip to JazzFest. I just landed a few hours ago, and already you can feel the excitement in the city. The plane was crowded of crazy people on their way to have a great time. Clapping at landing, singing etc... Very nice atmosphere!
If JazzFest is mainly about music, it's actually also about food and good company. As such, I've decided to blog about it. I'm only here for the first week-end, so it won't be a full coverage of what's going on, but just a summary of my culinary experience in New Orleans.
In case you don't know, all the restaurants serving food at the festival itself have been selected by a jury picking the best. They're selected for a specific dish. For ex, Gumbo, Boiled Crawfish etc... It's a truly amazing experience, and I will try to share it with you.
In the meantime, as we need to get warmed up, we had our usual stop at our favorite daiquiris place. See the picture attached. Nothing better than a house special (mix of Crawgator, 190 octane, and Jungle juice) to get the day going!
Looking forward to tomorrow - I will post all details!
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